Wess Roley: Alleged old photo of Idaho shooting suspect posing with rifle surfaces

Wess Roley, 20, ambushed and killed two firefighters in Idaho after starting a fire to lure them.

Officials identified the sniper who ambushed and killed two firefighters in Idaho as 20-year-old Wess Roley on Monday. He reportedly started a fire Sunday afternoon to lure the firefighters to the scene, where he then opened fire, killing two and critically injuring a third. His body was later found near his weapon at the site. Upon this identification, an alleged alarming photo from his childhood is now circulating widely on the internet.

Wess Roley, identified as the sniper who killed two firefighters in Idaho, reportedly used a fire as bait. (Bill Buley/Coeur D'Alene Press via AP) (AP)

Alleged photo of Idaho suspect with a gun goes viral

Following the identification of Roley as the gunman in the Idaho shooting, an old photo where him is just a child started circulating on the internet. What made the alleged photo controversial was the fact that he was posing with a rifle in his hand. Roley had a huge grin on his face as he posed alongside a woman who was also holding a rifle in he hand. The woman was also smiling widely in the picture.

The alleged photo of Roley was shared by a user on X, who captioned it, “These MAGA parents introduced their child to military style weapons at a very young age. He grew up to be, Wess Roley, a terrorist that murdered 2 fire fighters.”

NOTE: The photo circulating online is unverified, and HT is currently unable to confirm its authenticity. Therefore, this information should be considered unverified at the moment.

Netizens fume over alleged photo of Roley's childhood

A user wrote on X, “All children should be introduced to proper etiquette at a young age. Any child who hasn't been is basically the subject of parental abuse, as mommy doesn't want her baby to learn about the real world.” A second user wrote, “I was introduced to them at a young age. So what?” A third user wrote, “Arrest the parents. Who gives their kid a gun at that age. This country is a joke.”

Another user wrote, “This was a case of failed parenting, which ultimately led to a monster child.” A user questioned the image and wrote, “They said the guy is 20… that picture taken in “2017” (8 years ago) Thst kid looks like 9 maybe 10… that math isn’t math’n”